Little Lizzie
by kashi333
Summary: At the end of "Luther Braxton" Elizabeth passes out after telling Reddington not to touch her. She is taken to the hospital and upon awaking the team discovers that to deal with the trauma of a forced memory extraction her mind has reverted to a 3-4 year old. Little Lizzie takes a shining to Reddington. Can caring for a child Elizabeth reform their bond? Later Lizzington
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Yes I will continue Soul Searching, I haven't abandoned it. But this idea popped into my head. I am not a Doctor and have no medical knowledge so I do not know if this is actually possible or something that is real, so please forgive me if its far fetched. If I continue and write more this will be Lizzington but no romance will happen while Elizabeth is in her currant mind set. She will be back to normal before any of that happens.

"Don't touch me!" Her voice rang loud and final throughout the room, echoing her anguish from every corner. She thought she saw him flinch but she told herself it was all in her head as she tried to push herself from the chair. She looked up and saw Ressler coming to assist her but as she opened her mouth to say something to him the world began to spin and her vision started to darken at the corners. She felt her knees buckle and tried to demand control over her body yet to no avail. The last thing she registered was a concerned voice calling her name. She could have sworn it was Reddington but the gig was up, she knew he didn't care about her, so of course it couldn't have been him, must have been her imagination.

Elizabeth Keen was rushed to a hospital and remained unconscious and unresponsive. Cooper joined Ressler and Reddington outside her hospital room. It seemed Elizabeth refused to regain consciousness and the team was currently waiting for the Doctor to tell them what was wrong. They all sat on various benches and chairs available in the hall. Reddington, to everyone's surprise remained quiet and solemn as they waited. Ressler frequently shot him glances and seemed prepared to confront him on some issue when the Doctor approached.

"Group for Elizabeth Keen?" Asked the Doctor

Cooper immediately stepped forward.

"Yes I'm Agent Cooper and in charge of Agent Keen, is everything alright?" The Doctor glanced over everyone present without comment and flipped through a chart he had in his hands.

"Well, physically she is healthy and nothing is wrong." He paused to read something written down among his papers and looked up at the group. "It says here that Agent Keen went through a forced memory extraction and collapsed afterwards is that correct?"

Ressler took a step forward. "That's correct, she seemed alright, just exhausted until she attempted to stand up."

The Doctor flipped the chart closed. "And I'm assuming that the memory that was trying to be retrieved was from when she was very young? Maybe around four at the most?"

Cooper started to appear agitated. "Yes doctor but instead of confirming what you already have in your charts I would like to know how my agent is doing."

The doctor sighed. "It seems that a forced memory extraction and a poorly done one at that has taken a toll on Agent Keens mind. She has woken up but what would be her adult state of mind seems to have retreated, whether due to trauma or in attempt to heal and makes sense of what happened and the memories she witnessed."

Reddington finally made his presence known.

"And what does the mean exactly Doctor?" He stood and was prepared to throttle the man for beating around the bush. Whether the Doctor realized he was prolonging giving his diagnoses or from the steel look in Reddington's eyes he finally took a deep breath and gave the news.

"It means while the patient is perfectly healthy and functioning, her currant mind believes she is a child, roughly between the ages of three and four."

Resslers mouth hung open and not a sound could be heard from the shocked occupants in the hall.

"No way!" Ressler shouted. He was almost in Reddingtons personal space and was furious. "There is no way you will be allowed to see her. Don't think I have forgotten that you let Doctor Orchard continue with the memory extraction, you are to blame as much as Braxton, you contributed to her minds distress and now you want to go see her? I don't think so."

Reddington stood silently as Ressler ranted and when he was finished he by passed him all together and turned to Cooper.

"What will you do with her Harold? What will you say? That is no longer the Agent Keen who you know and have worked with. That is currently only Elizabeth, a scared and helpless child. And I'm pretty sure babysitting is not in your job description, although maybe Ressler might actually succeed at something if it was"

Ressler turned even more livid and also turned to Cooper. There was no way he was going to let Reddington have access to Keen, not when he saw him put his own selfish agenda ahead of her health, and certainly not when he saw Agent Keen pull away from him and refused to even look at him afterwards. She would be furious when she returned to an adult state of awareness if they let Reddington play house while she was defenseless.

Meanwhile Cooper could feel the events of the Braxton case catching up to him. He didn't want to deal with another childish fight between Reddington and Ressler.

"The Doctors said she should slowly return to normal, in a matter of days, a week at the most. Normally I would release Agent Keen to any family or friends she has to take care of her but seeing as she in a vulnerable position and we have no idea what she could still suddenly remember and tell someone about the work we do or have done we will need to keep her ourselves while she recovers."

Reddington went to open his mouth with a replying, no doubt in the form of a witty comment but Cooper held up his hand and cut him off.

"I am willing to have her stay in a safe house with you Ressler if you can get her to warm up to you. According to the nurses she has been a handful."

Ressler looked slightly taken back to have gotten his way but Reddington started to chuckle

"Even as a child Agent Keen is stubborn, good luck with gaining her trust Donald"

Ressler glared at Reddington and held up a little bag from the hospitals gift shop.

"Easy, I bought her a get well present and adult Agent Keen and I get along just fine, a child Agent Keen shouldn't be a problem. Maybe you should stay out of her room, you don't exactly give off a child friendly look"

For a brief moment something flickered past Reddingtons eyes, almost like hurt, perhaps sorrow and Ressler realized his comment in relation to Reddington once having a daughter. But before he could question whether the comment was to some extent out of line the emotion was gone and replaced by Reddingtons amused smirk.

"And miss you fuming over how to win over Agent Keen and make a fool of yourself? Oh Donald surely you know me better than that."

The three men entered a dimly lit hospital room. Elizabeth was sitting up in bed and staring intently at a picture book that was currently being read to her by a nurse. When they fully entered the room the nurse stopped reading and both her and Elizabeth's eyes looked up. The nurse slowly closed the book and stood up, patting Elizabeth's arm as she did.

"These men would like to talk to you Elizabeth, I promise we can finish the book later alright?"

Elizabeth simply nodded without saying anything and watched the nurse leave the room. Her eyes met that of Cooper and looked him over as if analyzing him. If Reddington didn't know that she was currently a four year old trapped in an adult body he would have thought the behavior normal of his criminal profiler partner. It seems even as a child Elizabeth was highly aware. She looked over Ressler as well before she finally got to him and when their gazes met and there was no recognition in those eyes he felt a stab in his heart. This Elizabeth Keen didn't know him, and while that could be to his advantage he felt a sadness at her lack of passion in her eyes as they gazed at one another.

The spell was broken as Cooper went farther into the room and sat at a chair next to her bed. Elizabeth's gaze left his and watched Coopers approach and as he sat down. Her body was faintly stiff and she looked like a horse deciding if it was spooked or not.

"Elizabeth my name is Agent Harold Cooper, or can call me Harold or Cooper which ever you prefer." He smiled at her and though she didn't return the smile she didn't scowl at him or move away so he took it as a sign to continue.

"This is Agent Donald Ressler" He motioned for Ressler to step forward and Ressler moved to stand next to the foot of the bed and smiled at her.

"Hello Elizabeth, you can call me Donald. I actually have something for you." He held up the little gift bag hoping for a reaction but her eyes barely glanced at it before her head turned to gaze at Reddington.

She tilted her head and eyed him.

"Who you?"

It was the first time she had spoken and it sounded like music to Reddingtons ears. It wasn't a complete sentence and she sounded so innocent and young, her voice had a slight higher pitch to it than usual and he couldn't help but find her adorable. He didn't bother looking at Ressler who he knew was most likely peeved that Elizabeth didn't give him the time of day.

Reddington cleared his throat.

"My name is Raymond Reddington. You can call me Red if you like."

His response seemed to only puzzle her even more.

"Red is color." She stated in a matter of fact tone.

He couldn't help but smile

"Yes, yes it is but it is also my nickname."

She continued to look at him like he confused her and only drew her contemplation away when Ressler called her name.

"I got this for you Elizabeth."

He handed her the little gift bag and she took it hesitantly before looking inside. A distasteful look crossed her face as she pulled out a stuffed fairy toy. She looked at him and then at the toy. She did not look impressed and Reddington was trying as hard as he could to hold in a laugh.

"You are going to come stay with me for a while. I'm sure we will be good friends."

Ressler continued on, clearly oblivious that he was going to be suddenly losing control of the situation. And sure enough as soon as he said she would be staying with him she through the toy on the floor along with the bag and glared at him.

"No!"

She crossed her arms and the same determination Reddington had seen so many times before was evident in her eyes. Meanwhile Ressler looked flabbergasted and picked up the toy off the floor.

"Elizabeth I know we don't know each other but we could get to know each other, maybe we can get this little fairy some more friends."

This didn't change Elizabeth's attitude if anything else it made her more agitated.

"No! No! No! No!" She began to chant rather loudly and shake her head from side to side. She started to punch the bed at her sides.

"Hey now! That's uncalled for!" Ressler raised his voice and went to grasp her wrist only to have her flinch as he tried to grab her and she let out a scream.

"Agent Ressler!" Cooper reprimanded him as Elizabeth flew from the bed and towards a nearby table, flinging herself underneath it and clutched the center leg for dear life.

Nurses entered the room and demanded to know what happened as one nurse approached the table Elizabeth was hiding under and attempted to coax her out which only had her screaming and whimpering even more.

"I merely was trying to get her to stop the beginning of a temper tantrum." Ressler said through gritted teeth to the head nurse.

Reddington had had enough, he let Ressler have his chance, and more for his amusement, at gaining Elizabeth's trust and the man was an idiot. He removed his jacket and hat and placed them in a chair before going to Elizabeth's new hiding spot and instead of crouching down he sat all the way on the floor, making sure to not be facing directly at the adult child underneath, he didn't want to appear threatening.

He silently indicated to the nurse trying to remove her from under the table that he could handle it and the nurse was quick to let him take care of the situation. He wondered how many times Elizabeth had hid under this very table since waking up. Most likely more than a few by the way the nurse readily let him take control, not wanting to deal with it.

Cooper and Ressler had reassured the nurses they were fine and would make things right with Elizabeth. And as the nurses left, clearly not pleased with either man for upsetting their patient, both men turned surprised to see a Raymond Reddington relaxing on the rooms' floor. Ressler moved to go to that end of the room and Cooper stopped him by grabbing his arm and shaking his head.

"Just let Reddington try his hand."

Ressler remained silent and did not attempt to move anymore but was visibly agitated.

The whimpers had died down but Elizabeth still remained tightly wound around the table. Reddington slowly bent his head at an angle so he could look into her eyes.

"Lizzie"

Elizabeths eyes widened marginally and her lips parted a little as he called to her, using the nickname he gave her the first day they met.

"Lizzie…I want to tell you I'm sorry Lizzie."

This was not how he wanted to apologize to her. He wanted to be able to say so much more to her then what he was about to express. He knew her minds current status would not fully comprehend what he was saying to her or why but he hoped that somewhere, even if it was currently buried deep in her subconscious she would recognize his words for what they were.

Currently Elizabeth wore the same bewildered expression she had on her face when he told her his name. He smiled softly at her and shifted somewhat on the floor, her eyes tracking his movement.

"I hurt you Lizzie. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I would never hurt you on purpose. And I know you're mad at me. I have secrets and I won't tell them to you. But I promise someday I will, I promise Lizzie, but I can't tell them to you right now. I care a lot about you Elizabeth, because I have grown so very fond of you after we first met."

During his little speech Ressler and Cooper remained discreet by some miracle and Elizabeth had slackened her hold on the table. She scooted out from out of underneath the table but remained on the floor. Her eyes searched Reddingtons. And yet again he found himself thinking how he could almost forget she wasn't her typical self with the way she scrutinized him. She seemed to find whatever she was looking for as her body lost all its rigidness and she scurried all the way up to him and sat criss cross. Their knees touching.

"Red is color."

Reddington burst out laughing and a small grin spread over the woman's face.

"Yes, it is still a color. Would you like to call me something else? You can call me Ray if that's better?"

Reddington held out his hand for her to take.

She seemed to consider him and studied his hand before slowly placing her hand in his.

"Ray"

If you want me to continue:

**_Next time…_**

Reddington deals with staying the first night at the safe house with a little Lizzie. He forgot how troublesome a toddler can be.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: So I decided to change it up, instead of the first night at the safe house we will be going with the first day at the safe house. Enjoy!

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Convincing Cooper and Ressler to let him care for Elizabeth was easier once it was obvious that she would speak to no one but Reddington or the Doctor. She eyed Ressler warily and Reddington couldn't help but feel smug. Children could often be easily manipulated but sometimes they also had a sixth sense about peoples intentions and who they could trust. He had no doubt the Ressler wouldn't ever hurt his fellow agent but he had a feeling that under normal circumstances he would not volunteer to watch over a four year old, he was only doing so in order to keep Agent Keen from his grasp. Elizabeth was a bright woman and from everything Sam had told him, a bright child. He wouldn't be surprised if she could sense his hesitation about caring for her.

Cooper readily agreed to let Reddington look after Elizabeth but only on the condition that the safe house they were staying in be monitored and Ressler demanded a room in the house as well, though he would be spending most of his time at work anyway. Grudgingly Reddington agreed as long as any cameras stayed out of the bedrooms, and bathrooms.

"And don't think I won't know if you try to sneak one past me Harold." He had warned the man.

So the next morning after discovering Elizabeths retreat into childhood, she had been taken to the safe house with no trouble or fuss much to everyone's amazement. Although it might have had to do with her throwing a fit unless Reddington was in her sight at all times since leaving the hospital. And if he stayed with in grabbing distance she was perfectly well behaved.

Once they reached the safe house Elizabeth was settle in front of a TV in the living room and Dembe agreed to watch over her for a few hours while she was distracted so Reddington could report to Cooper that all was well and give him another blacklister name to keep the team occupied running around while he spent time with Elizabeth. But he wasn't going to tell them that was the real reason he so willingly agreed to give up another name.

Reddington waited until Elizabeth was fully focused on the TV before he left. When she had first sat down to watch she would pause and glance at him every minute or two as if to check that he was still in the same room. Slowly she would glance at him less and less until her attention was solely on the screen before her. So with a quick nod to Dembe he snuck out of the house and got into a car with a waiting and impatient Ressler. 

Reddington entered the house much later in the day then when he had left and made to remove his hat and coat.

"Honey I'm home" He almost sniggered to himself. "How were the children?"

His overall morning had went splendidly and after he gave Cooper and the team another blacklister name, which was an easy man to catch he might say. He was more than ready to see what Elizabeth and Dembe had gotten up to while he was away. The name he had given Cooper was a lowly criminal compared to some of the other names he had in his arsenal but he wasn't about to give them someone hard and have to swoop in to save their sorry behinds like usual when he would rather spend more time with Elizabeth.

He had to admit as much as he missed the adult version, this much younger version was just as delightful and he relished in the chance to show her who he was without her adult assumptions getting in the way. No, this Elizabeth Keen took everything at face value and saw what was in front of her eyes, and despite all the complications he felt that is exactly what they needed to mend what was broken between them.

He had just finished hanging up his hat and turned to go into the living room to find Dembe when the very man himself came through the doorway. Dembe had his arms crossed over his chest and a glare was on his face that Reddington had rarely seen pointed at him. But the man's stance and attitude wasn't what made him pause to ask what was wrong. All words died in his throat when he saw the man's face and what could only be pink marker along his cheeks and forehead in zig zag patterns.

"She is in the kitchen." Was all he said and he didn't give Reddington another glance as he made his way up the stairs, no doubt to attempt to scrub his face clean.

Reddington made his way through the house into the kitchen dreading what he would find. And there in all her artistic glory was Elizabeth Keen, sitting on the tiled floor, humming to herself and scribbling all over one of the kitchen walls.

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Authors Note: I'm so glad people are enjoying this story! I'm sorry for the shorter chapter but I wanted to give you guys something and I will be posting another chapter later today or tomorrow. Also sorry for the lack of little Lizzie but next chapter will be full of Red and Lizzie interactions I promise! BTW if anyone has any types of scenes or interactions they want to see of little Lizzie and Red let me know

_**Next time…**_

Red finds it so hard to be mad and punish Lizzie for the mess…especially when he sees what she has drawn.

And Red and Lizzie have a battle of wits over nap time


End file.
